Wade and I had a date in less than an hour, and I could not find it. It was black and short; I just knew that Wade would love it.
“I have no idea,” she yelled back from the living room. “Check in that pigsty you call a closet! I am sure it’s in there somewhere.”
I rolled my eyes. Whatever, it wasn’t that bad.
I opened the closet door and quickly changed my mind. I guess it could be a little neater.
I started going through the first mound of clothes. No skirt.
Shit.
“Honey,” she said, nearly scaring the crap out of me. I swear she was part ninja or part cat. She had a way of just popping up without a noise. I hadn’t even known that she’d come into my room.
“Jesus, mom,” I said, slightly irritated. “I’m going to put a bell around your neck, you scared me.”
“You are such a smart ass,” she said, smiling at me. “Now, before you head out with Wade, we need to have a quick family meeting, downstairs.”
I did a quick mental checklist to see what I was busted for this time, and came up with nothing. Obviously, it had been a pretty slow month for mischief.
“Fine,” I replied, reaching for the second pile of clothes. I quickly started flinging shirts, pants, shorts and bras out of the way. “But how long is it going to take? Wade and I are supposed to meet at the theater at seven.”
“It will only take a few minutes.” She bent down and grabbed something black. “Is this what you're looking for?” she asked, holding up my skirt.
I grabbed it and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You're a lifesaver, Mom!”
“Meet us downstairs when you’re done,” she replied, walking out of my room.
“Sure.”
Both of my parents were sitting at the kitchen table with a woman I didn’t recognize when I went downstairs.
Now, who the hell is that?
My dad pointed to a chair. “Sit down, Kelly.”
I did, still staring at the woman.
“Kelly, this is Gina Montgomery,” my father said, nodding in the direction of the woman, “and Gina, this is our daughter, Kelly.”
For the next hour, I listened to Gina tell me something that would change my life forever. Had I known the fate of my future, however, I would have never agreed to it.